This Christmas season 15.5 million children in America, more than one in five, are living in poverty, a number of them in extreme poverty. This is the highest child poverty rate the nation has experienced since 1959. Each one of these children has a name, a unique face and story to tell. That is why CDF has just released a new report, “Held Captive”: Child Poverty in America, which chronicles the real life toll child poverty is having on millions of children in the richest nation in history. The report, commissioned by CDF and written by Pulitzer prize winning journalist Julia Cass, found foreign aid supporting programs for children in an impoverished county in Mississippi, Katrina-displaced children still struggling in Baton Rouge, La., and childhood disrupted for the newly poor in Long Island, N.Y. Cass reports that despite safety net protections put in place over the past generation, poor children are still adrift in a sea of poverty with their future in jeopardy. Download and read the full report, share it with your friends and get ready to join the fight to end child poverty in 2011 and beyond.

Congress Fails to Pass Increases for Education and Early Learning

We are grateful the Senate consented to ratify the New START treaty last week which reduces the number of nuclear weapons and makes the world a safer place for our children. But as many of you know, significant increases for education and early learning were lost when the Senate failed to pass an omnibus spending bill for next year. Congress has instead passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) that will last until March 4 and does not include the increased funding for education and early learning programs like Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, CCDBG, Head Start/Early Head Start, and the Early Learning Challenge Fund. Thank you to all who urged their networks and Members of Congress to support early learning and education programs throughout the year—but the work is not over! We will be tested in the months ahead and will need to work to stave off deep cuts in programs which benefit children. Learn more about how these programs help children by visiting the early childhood development and education portions of our Web site.

CDF Needs Your Help Now More Than Ever

With the current Congress’ recent failure to invest in early learning and the incoming Congress already rattling the saber to slash deficits by cutting back on existing safety nets that protect children and families, CDF needs your financial support now more than ever. With your help, we will work tirelessly to continue our programs and campaigns to train the next generation of young leaders, and put forth the most accurate and pertinent data, reports and arguments which prove beyond a doubt that there is no wiser investment our nation can make than to ensure all children a better 2011 and that we move forward—not backwards—as a country in preparing our young to compete in the global economy. Please take a moment to make a donation, helping us to reach our goal of raising $150,000 this December.

Youth in the Juvenile Justice System are Underserved in Los Angeles County

On December 2nd, Marian Wright Edelman joined with Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas to discuss the state of the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles County and release the report, “Juvenile Reentry in Los Angeles County: An Exploration of the Strengths, Barriers and Policy Options.” The reentry report found that most juveniles who are released from long-term secure placement in the county are not successfully reintegrating into their communities. These youth require services and supports that meaningfully engage them in school, employment, and community life if they are to successfully exit the Cradle to Prison Pipeline and enter the pipeline to college and work. The report on juvenile reentry was prepared for Supervisor Ridley-Thomas’ office earlier this year by Michelle Newell and Angelica Salazar, former masters candidates at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government who now both work at the Children’s Defense Fund on juvenile justice policy.

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